Realities and Rubies
by Alyssa12334
Summary: AU The ramifications of Brendan Birch starting his journey to the Hoenn League at the same time as Ash and the gang (This will have elements from the games and the anime)


A/N: Wow, it's probably been a century since I've written fanfiction. This is my first one since maybe six years ago, but I've wanted to write a fanfic for this idea for a long time. Ruby and Sapphire were my first pokémon games and I've always kind of wanted to write my own take on Brendan's journey. The actuality of putting this idea to paper was inspired by the release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. I hope that this fic retains its own identity and isn't exactly like other fics on this site with a similar premise. This will be a mix between the games and anime, but there could be some allusions to the movies and manga if I find a way to fit them in.

Warning: I do not have a beta for this fic and I can't promise I'm the greatest writer ever. I ask only for constructive criticism as I just want to improve my writing. I will probably not be able to update regularly as I want to make chapters for this as good as I can and life in general often throws wrenches into my plans for writing. I'm putting some elements of the anime in here, but I'm going to try to make it a slightly darker and more realistic version of pokémon (well as realistic as a world full of ten year olds sent into the wilderness to tame wild animals that have supernatural powers for entertainment can be and forgive me if I get a little caught up in the spirit of Pokémon itself). If you have a problem with any of this then please press the back button.

Disclaimer: I have never owned pokémon, but I hope to someday win ownership in an epic pokémon battle between myself and the true owners! I also don't own other companies/products I might make references to throughout this story.

* * *

Smiling, Brendan adjusted his hat as he continued to sketch the slowly moving wurmple. In his opinion, the small bug type was perfect for studying in the wild due to how common its species was, how much its red body stuck out against the bark of trees, and how fast it evolved.

Sticking his pen and notebook back into his yellow backpack when the wurmple finally disappeared into the tree's higher branches, Brendan stood and stretched out his aching limbs. Despite years of experience, crouching under bushes for hours to study the local pokémon still made his legs fall asleep.

Deciding to head back to his father's lab earlier than usual, Brendan swung his backpack on and walked back up to the main path. Reaching into his back pocket, Brendan brought out the red handheld device that had been gifted to him by his father.

Typically, prospective trainers wouldn't receive a Pokédex until they were given their starter pokémon, but the Pokémon Professor had made an exception when he'd been forced to delay Brendan's journey for a few days since he'd been bogged down with work and had determined that it would be easier if Brendan waited for when May would begin hers as well.

Rolling his eyes in slight exasperation at the thought of the brown haired girl, Brendan knew that May's father, Norman, wanted her to challenge the Pokémon League since their families had been friends for years, but even he could see that she wasn't interested in pokémon and simply wanted to travel around the world when she wasn't practically shouting it off the rooftops.

Feeling a pang of pity for the pokémon that would become her partner, Brendan swore to at least stress the importance of not accidentally neglecting her pokémon upon the girl before they parted ways.

Sighing at the thought, Brendan opened his Pokédex and scrolled through the screens. Due to the long hours he had spent assisting his father in his lab, he had already memorized the majority of the information stored in the handheld device, but Brendan still liked to look at the entries of the different pokémon and imagine what it would be like to battle them with his starter.

Suddenly, a blur shot past him causing Brendan to stumble back into the bushes.

"Sorry!" A familiar voice cried out as he turned his head in time to see someone on a red bike race down the path. Quickly getting up, Brendan slid his Pokédex into his pocket before hurrying to follow.

'Shouldn't May be up at Dad's lab?' Brendan questioned to himself after he had recognized the bicyclist and ran to catch up with the brunette.

Lost in thought, Brendan almost shot past the abandoned red bike in the path when a familiar, deep voice yelled out, "Anyone will due!"

Skidding to a halt beside a steep cliff, Brendan first saw May rifling through an even more familiar looking brown, messenger bag and looked further down to see his father hanging on a tree branch directly above a small pack of growling poochyena.

"Dad!" Brendan cried out in panic at finding his father at the mercy of wild pokémon yet again and raced to the edge of the cliff.

"Thank Arceus!" Brendan's father, Professor Birch, shouted in relief. "Brendan! I need you to help May and get one of my pokémon from my bag!"

Nodding in response, Brendan hustled over to May, who had already grabbed a pokéball from the messenger bag, and took one of the remaining pokéballs.

"Ok, we need to get down there and chase the poochyena off. There's three of them, but if we work together then we might just have a chance." Brendan hurriedly explained as he zipped up his father's bag and slung it over his shoulders.

"Right." May said uncertainly and cried out in fright as Brendan jumped over the side of the cliff.

"Come on!" Brendan yelled as he landed and threw his pokéball into the air. Despite the circumstances, Brendan felt his excitement grow as he watched his pokéball release a small shape in a burst of light.

"Tor!" The Chick Pokémon chirped happily as it materialized from the pokéball.

At the small bird's cry the pack of wild, black dogs turned towards them with their hackles raised and snarled menacingly. Their ears laid back against their heads in anger and their tail hair bristled threateningly.

"Torchic use Growl!" Brendan commanded, and grinned when his pokémon took a deep breath and released an endearing chirp, drawing in one of the less wary poochyena. "Now use Ember!"

Obediently, Torchic opened its beak and released a barrage of small fireballs in the direction of the three dark-type pokémon. Chirping triumphantly when the fire scorched the front legs of the poochyena standing closest to the duo, while the other two jumped to avoid the assault.

Whimpering as the fire licked at its legs, the poochyena fell to the ground since its forelimbs had given out and attempted to soothe the severe burns covering its front with its tongue.

The fallen poochyena's pack mates circled around Torchic and Brendan, their growls only increasing in volume at the other's pained whines. Swallowing, Brendan tracked their movements carefully. Dark types were known for quickly striking at their opponents without warning and it was best to exercise extreme caution when facing them in groups.

"Chic!" Torchic cried out as a poochyena jumped onto it and bit into one of its wing. Blood sprayed out from between the poochyena's teeth, making the orange chick lash out with its talons.

"Torchic!" Brendan called out when the fire type scratched at the poochyena, tearing deep lacerations into the wild dog's face. Releasing the struggling bird, the dark type shook its head as blood from its injuries ran into its eyes and nose.

Gritting his teeth, Brendan grabbed a large stick and made to finish the injured poochyena when he was tackled from behind. Grunting since he landed face first on the ground, Brendan quickly rolled to the side.

Dropping his bags, Brendan jumped to his feet as the poochyena lunged at him again and managed to land a solid swing on the pokémon's side. Falling to the ground, the poochyena scrambled to its feet, but now had a slight limp.

"May, are you gonna help, or what?" Brendan asked, not daring to take his eyes off of the slowly advancing pokémon.

"I... I don't think I can." Brendan heard the other brunette respond and he groaned in frustration. He had hoped that May would have listened to the lessons that he knew Norman gave on dealing with wild pokémon, but it looked like he was on his own and without Torchic's help he wasn't sure how long he could hold out.

"Tor!" As if Rayquaza had answered his plea for help, a loud cry resounded as balls of flame pelleted the poochyena's bruised side, ripping a yowl from the black dog's throat. Swaying on its feet from the pain, the poochyena spit angrily at Brendan and the other pokémon, before making a strategic retreat into the shadows of the underbrush.

After staring into the dense forest for a few moments to see if the poochyena would return, Brendan breathed a sigh of relief before returning his gaze to his pokémon. Torchic was now bleeding sluggishly from its left wing and a multitude of scrapes covering the bird's left side. Gently lifting the injured bird, Brendan retrieved his bag, which, thankfully, contained a large medical kit designed for pokémon that he had prepared in case of emergencies, before taking stock of his surroundings.

Judging from the tracks in the dirt, the other two poochyena had dragged themselves away during the scuffle with the last one and had disappeared into the forest. Turning his gaze toward the cliff, it looked as if May had managed to release Mudkip from its pokéball, but the small water-type seemed to be more interested in shooting water into her face than following any of her commands.

Hearing a sharp snapping sound from above, Brendan's eyes shot to the tree above him in time to see his father come crashing down next to him with a yell.

"Dad! Are you okay?" Brendan asked as he crouched next to the Pokémon Professor and took out a second, smaller first aid kit that he kept on him for his father's accidents.

"Yes, don't worry about me. I'm just glad those lessons on surviving encounters with violent pokémon I gave you are kicking in." his father said as he stood up and carefully examined his ten year old son, "You should be proud of yourself son. Only just starting your journey and you handled that situation a lot better than most beginning trainers!"

Grinning at the praise, Brendan tucked the second kit back into his bag and tried to soothe Torchic with pets when the small Chick Pokémon began to cluck in pain as he laid the fire type down. Picking out a Potion, Brendan sprayed the large bite mark on Torchic's wing and watched as it slowly closed into a thin, white scar that would disappear once the small bird's feathers grew back. Scrutinizing the pokémon's other injuries, Brendan decided to simply disinfect the scratches. Pokémon had tougher constitutions than humans and Brendan knew that the minor scrapes would be healed within an hour, or two, at most.

"Thanks Dad, but why were you in that tree in the first place?" Brendan questioned in confusion as he put his things back into his bag, handed his father his messenger bag, and scooped Torchic back up into his arms. The warmth of the fire-type pokémon relaxing him after the stressful turn of events.

"There's really no time for me to explain, but I'll catch you up on the way." The Professor said seriously and ran into a seemingly random direction into the brush. Sighing in exasperation at his father's usual behavior, Brendan rushed to catch up.

"Hey, you guys wait a minute!" May shouted as she hurried to catch up after she had retrieved her bike with Mudkip lazily hanging on the handle bars.

* * *

"So, what are we looking for?" Brendan asked as he helped his father peer into various bushes and trees when a pillar of electricity shot into the air.

"A trainer's pikachu's electrical buildup is reaching critical mass." His father said solemnly.

"That's terrible, how...how long does it have?" Brendan asked somberly, knowing that an electric type with that much stored electricity had little chance of survival and clutched the Chick Pokémon harder.

"Huh?" May sounded in confusion as she pedaled up beside them.

"It means that pikachu...could explode." Brendan explained sadly. Unfortunately, he had seen a few of these cases over the years. Oldale Town's Pokémon Center was a day's walk away and his father sometimes had to treat the pokémon of traveling trainers.

Shuddering at the memory of a fever ridden electrike that popped into his head, Brendan knew it wasn't something any ten year old should have seen and it had taken him a long time to come to terms with it, but he had realized that his father was only preparing him to be a competent pokémon trainer. After all, if he couldn't recognize some of the more common sicknesses that plagued different types of pokémon then he would never be able to care for and treat his own when he wasn't near a Pokémon Center.

"Huh, really?" May asked in alarm as his father took off towards the origin of the electrical discharge.

"Yeah, now come on." Brendan said dismissively when he placed Torchic on top of his backpack allowing the small fire type to grab on with its talons, to free up his hands in case they found the pikachu, before running in the general direction that the Pokémon Professor had gone.

"Ah, not again!" May groaned as the Professor and Brendan disappeared into the trees.

"Mudkip." said the Mud Fish Pokémon, sounding almost as if it was sighing in exasperation, before yawning and falling asleep as the brunette struggled to keep pace.

* * *

"Ash, get away! Pikachu could explode at any moment!" His father warned a dark haired trainer that looked only a few years older than Brendan as he came to a stop in a clearing.

"But I've got to help." The trainer now identified as Ash said as he stood stupidly close to the pikachu, which was still sparking dangerously with electricity.

"We know, but you won't be a help to anyone if pikachu fries you!" Brendan shouted and Torchic chirped seemingly in agreement. Brendan understood the want to save the electric type, but if Ash insisted on staying that close to the pokémon then he would either be electrocuted, or be caught in the blast radius when the pikachu exploded. Brenden didn't know which was a worse fate.

"Pika." The Mouse Pokémon squeaked in pain when it scrambled to all fours and took off into the tall grass in a fever induced delirium. Zigzagging wildly through the grass, the electric type's frenzied run sped up before jumping off a high cliff in confusion.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash yelled before quickly following the small mouse, disappearing from view as he jumped head first off the large cliff.

"Arceus." Brendan cursed when his father and May gasped in shock after the dark haired trainer's moronic, swan dive. Mudkip's eyes even flew open when it sensed the alarm of the others around it and sat up in time to see the trainer's shoes vanish over the edge.

Rushing to the rim, Brendan peered down and saw Ash clinging to a small branch jutting off the side of the cliff with only one arm while trying to hold on to a struggling Pikachu.

"Brendan, do you still have that emergency rope?" His father asked urgently.

"Yeah." Brendan answered in the affirmative as he swung his backpack, dislodging Torchic from its perch, to the ground and grabbed the length of high grade rope that his father had given him a few days before and was Pokémon Ranger approved. Passing one end to his father and May, Brendan threw the other end over the edge.

"Quick, Ash grab the rope!" His father yelled down to the young trainer.

"Ok!" Brendan heard the other trainer yell affirmatively.

"Alright everyone, pull together." The Pokémon Professor ordered as all of them, even the pokémon, strained to haul Ash and Pikachu back up since the electric mouse kept releasing streams of electricity. After what seemed like hours of towing, both trainer and pokémon were pulled to safety.

Bending down on one knee, Professor Birch gave them a scrupulous examination. Ash's arm would be sore, and had some mild electrical burns and bite marks, but he looked to be perfectly fine otherwise. Pikachu appeared to be lucid, but Brendan knew that was only temporary. When electric types reached critical mass, they would develop a horrible fever and suffer from terrifying hallucinations, but all pokémon had incredibly high healing factors, which would result in intervals of time where an electric type would appear to have broken from the illness, only to succumb to it again soon after.

Before his father could even ask, Brendan had already pulled out his emergency kit and started to prep a sterile syringe. Intrigued, Torchic stared intently at the shiny needle where the sun reflected off of it and even started to sniff at it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" May asked bemused just as Brendan finished and gently pushed Torchic's face away to keep the young chick from nicking itself.

"It's for Pikachu." Brendan said simply as he passed the syringe over to the Pokémon Professor.

"What!"

"Chu!

Both Ash and Pikachu cried out in protest upon seeing Professor Birch close in on them with the sharp object and quickly scrambled away in a panic.

"Ash, it's just a sedative. Pikachu might look fine now, but its electricity is still building up and will make Pikachu sick again. It will be safer for all of us if Pikachu stays asleep until we get back to the lab." Professor Birch explained patiently and held his hands up in a placating gesture in an attempt to calm them.

The dark haired trainer looked conflicted for a moment before hesitantly holding the small mouse out. "Alright." He said uncertainly. Brendan couldn't really blame Ash for being nervous after everything that had happened that day, but he didn't want to be zapped by the small rodent either.

Just as the Professor was about to break the skin of the electric type's upper arm, the ground around them quaked causing the Professor to miss and sink the needle into his own leg.

"Dad!" Brendan cried out as the sedatives entered the Professor's blood stream, rendering him unconscious within a few seconds. Luckily, the sedatives weren't strong enough to kill him since they were intended for a smaller pokémon, such as Pikachu, but would be enough to put him out for the next few hours at the very least.

"What is that?" May suddenly yelled out from behind Brendan, making everyone else turn to see the problem. A gigantic robot that resembled the battery held by the Energizer Bunnelby towered over the group on two huge legs.

Standing, Brendan checked to make sure Torchic's scrapes had healed enough. He wasn't sure why a robot had landed in the middle of the woods surrounding his father's lab since he had been pretty much convinced that this only happened in movies previously, but he had already decided that it couldn't lead to anything good. With his father out and Pikachu weakened, Brendan knew they would either have to rely on the starter pokémon to defend them, or hope that Ash had other pokémon on him since it was evident that he was a more experienced trainer from what Professor Oak had told his father.

"Prepare for trouble for the umpteenth time." Called out a woman dismally with gravity, defying magenta hair from atop of the robot.

"Make it double and I'll make it rhyme." Shouted the purple haired man standing next to her.

"Wait, they land a robot in the middle of the woods and now they're kind of singing some type of theme song?" May thought aloud and stared at the twosome's ridiculous looking white uniforms that had a large, red R etched onto each of their chests that seemed eerily familiar.

"The new twerp with the bandana has a point." Magenta haired woman mumbled depressingly.

"Yeah, that's Team Rocket. They keep trying to capture Pikachu whenever we run into them." said Ash angrily.

"Wasn't Team Rocket a ring of criminals that stole and experimented on pokémon in Kanto and Jhoto, but was disbanded a few years ago? I mean these two don't even have the black outfits." Brendan said with some confusion as he scratched at his head in thought. He had watched a news story on them awhile ago and was pretty sure that the Indigo League had either wiped out, or arrested, most of the organization's members.

"Shut up! What do you know anyway kid? Team Rocket's still going strong and that Pikachu will just add to our boss' power when we capture it!" Yelled a heavily accented voice and a meowth popped out of the machine.

"Hold on! I thought pokémon couldn't speak English?" May asked, who was clearly baffled by the talking cat. Truthfully, Brendan couldn't blame her. He had read reports of scientists in Kanto having some success with teaching certain pokémon a few words, but he had never heard of one using complete sentences unless you counted psychic types, which could talk to their trainers through their minds, or pokémon, such as chatot, which mimicked anything they heard.

"Of course I can! What do you take me for twerp?" Shouted the infuriated meowth.

"Man, Dad would be salivating over this if he was awake." Brendan said thinking of the ramifications of pokémon having the ability to communicate directly to their human trainers.

"Whatever, twerps! We're still gonna steal that Pikachu!" the purple haired man declared as the trio disappeared inside of the robot.

"Pikachu!" The electric type squeaked in anger at the band of misfit criminals and tried to scramble out of Ash's hold.

"Don't do anything Pikachu." Ash said to the Mouse Pokémon when it tried to struggle out of his grasp, knowing that Pikachu wouldn't be able to fight Team Rocket in its condition. Suddenly, a black claw came out of the center of the robot's body and tore the electric type from Ash's arms.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted in shock as his pokémon was unexpectedly taken right from under his nose when two black suction cups appeared from each of the robot's arms to cover the mouse's red pouches and proceeded to absorb the arcs of electricity that Pikachu started to release upon being grabbed.

"Torchic, help Pikachu. Use Ember on that robot!" Brendan ordered and the Chick Pokémon blew small balls of flame at the machine's lower torso, but both were dismayed when the fire didn't have any effect.

"Hah!" Laughed Meowth's voice from within the machine. "You twerps didn't think we came prepared. This machine of ours will not only absorb all of Pikachu's electricity, but can take any attack your weak pokémon can dish out!"

Brendan gritted his teeth in frustration and was about to search through his father's bag for his PokéNav to call for help when he saw the gauge on the machine rising to its limits. Pikachu's electrical output was still going strong due to all of its excess electricity and if the robot couldn't absorb all of it... then this problem might just solve itself.

"Whoa! Now, that's power." May said in amazement as Pikachu's electricity started discharging and shot clear past the robot's capacity. Brendan whistled, impressed at the display. It wasn't often that you saw that much power in an un-evolved pokémon.

Suddenly, a stray bolt of lightning arched over them and blackened May's bicycle, which had been leaning up against a tree.

"Ah! My bike's been barbecued!" May screeched in horror as the electricity completely destroyed the bike.

"Kip." Mudkip moaned in despair by May's feet. The Mud Fish Pokémon had enjoyed hanging on the handlebars and would dearly miss the metal contraption.

"Team Rocket is blasting off again!" Three voices yelled simultaneously as the robot exploded, covering the clearing in black smoke.

"Wobbuffet!" An unknown, fourth voice yelled.

Coughing, Brendan tried to clear the smoke from his throat before looking up in time to see Pikachu collapse.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?" Ash asked as he rushed to the unconscious rodent's side. Seeing the fall of the electric mouse, Brendan grabbed his emergency kit and checked the pokémon's vitals.

"May, get my Dad's PokéNav and call Joshua." Brendan ordered as he looked at Pikachu. The robot had sucked out most of Pikachu's extra electricity, but electric types needed a certain amount of electricity to live and it would be difficult to tell if Pikachu's levels were too low without the proper equipment.

"O..Ok" May said when she stumbled to the brown, messenger bag and dug out the handheld device to call for back up.

* * *

Sighing, Brendan slumped on one of the uncomfortable, plastic chairs that sat in the corner of the lobby of the Pokémon Laboratory. Taking his hat off and running his hands through his hair from the stress, Brendan sorted through the events of the last couple hours. Joshua had, thankfully, been able to find them from the sparse directions May had given and they had all gotten back to the lab safely. His father was still sleeping off the sedatives, but would probably wake up by morning.

Fortunately, Joshua had managed to finish Pikachu's treatment without the Pokémon Professor and the electric mouse would make a full recovery by the next day. Meanwhile, Brendan had taken the time to call the police and, with some hesitation, his mother.

Officer Jenny and her team had come only minutes after he had told them of remnants of Team Rocket attacking the lab. None of the law enforcement in Hoenn wanted the disease of Team Rocket to fester in the region as it had in Kanto and Jhoto. No matter how incompetent the trio of criminals had seemed, it sounded as if the League might get involved, or at the very least notified. Everyone, including the lab technicians that hadn't been there, were questioned and the police force had now taken off into the forest on a manhunt for the three Rockets.

If it was possible, Brendan slumped even further when his thoughts drifted to his mother. Mrs. Birch had been absolutely livid since Brendan had recounted the turn of incidents that occurred throughout the day, and had taken it upon herself to march to the lab to give him a hour long lecture about the apparent dangers of confronting a pack of wild pokémon, and a group of criminals with only a new starter. Brenden supposed he deserved it a little, but he knew his father would be in more trouble than him when he found the strength to return to the land of the living.

Throwing an arm across his face, Brendan closed his eyes and tried to relax the tension in his shoulders when something incredibly warm and fuzzy rubbed against his leg. Lifting his arm, Brendan turned his gaze downward and was marginally surprised when he saw a little orange and yellow ball of downy feathers. He had made sure to return all three starters to Joshua since neither he nor May could officially choose one until the Pokémon Professor chose to awaken from his slumber and registered them as new trainers.

Smile growing, Brendan held out his arms and was delighted when the Chick Pokémon jumped onto his lap. Burrowing into his chest, the small bird was practically a furnace and Brendan was grateful for the extra warmth since the repeated opening of the front door had caused the lobby to have a slight chill.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Brendan thought aloud before taking out his Pokédex, which Torchic stared at with no small amount of curiosity, and pointed it at the young pokémon. "See, I can scan you with this and it'll give me all of your information."

_Torchic, the Chick Pokémon_

_Gender: Female_

_Height/Weight: 0.6/2.5kg_

_Ability: Blaze (When this pokémon's health is low, the power of all fire type moves will be increased.) _

_Known Moves: Scratch, Growl, Focus Energy, and Ember_

_Known Data: Torchic sticks with its Trainer, following behind with unsteady steps. This Pokémon breathes fire of over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, including fireballs that leave the foe scorched black. Torchic has a place inside its body where it keeps its flame. Give it a hug-it will be glowing with warmth. This Pokémon is covered all over by a fluffy coat of down._

"Chic!" Torchic cried in amazement when the handheld device read the bird pokémon's stats in a clear, female voice. He had already known the fire type's basic attacks since he had helped his father train a few groups of starter pokémon in the past, but it was nice to know a few specifics, such as Torchic's gender and slightly above average height. After scrolling through the screens, Brendan slipped the device back into his pocket and held onto the pokémon as he stood up.

"Well, we've had a long day." Brendan said tiredly when Torchic looked at him in question. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Tor!" Came the bird's chirp of agreement.

* * *

"I apologize for the considerable delay, but are you both ready to choose your beginner pokémon?" Professor Birch questioned the two young trainers in front of him while nursing a rather large headache and a few massive bumps on his head. The morning had been horrible and while he was excited for his son, he kind of wanted to crawl into a dark corner and sleep for the rest of his life. His wife hadn't exactly been gentle in showing her displeasure at his 'leading their son into danger again' and it didn't help that May had been with him. His wife was rather good friends with Caroline and had confessed to the other woman immediately, but he was just glad that she had shown mercy and had not informed Norman. The Gym Leader would have been furious and probably would have reported him to the League. If anything, his headache seemed to grow larger from the thoughts constantly coursing through his mind.

"Sure Dad." Brendan answered after quickly scrutinizing May to see if she was ready or not. He had been ready to receive his first pokémon for as long as he could remember, but he had some doubts concerning the brunette next to him.

"Ah, yeah." May replied after a moment of hesitancy, but that was enough for the harassed Professor, who moved to take the three Pokéballs sitting on the metal table.

"First up, we have Treeko." The Professor said when the Wood Gecko Pokémon appeared from the flash of light released by the Pokéball. Turning its gaze on them, the grass type looked at them curiously with its big, yellow eyes.

"It looks creepy." May cringed when the green gecko had focused its attention on her. Sighing at the brunette, Brendan couldn't return the sentiment since he had always thought that Treecko was a good choice and voiced as much, which only made the grass type grow a little, smug grin.

"And this is Mudkip." His father stated exhaustion seeping into his words as the Mud Fish Pokémon appeared. Surprisingly, the water type focused its gaze on May and moved to sit its head on her shoe.

"Looks like Mudkip has already chosen for you, May." Brendan stated shocked, not at Mudkip choosing May since starters bonded very quickly with those around them, but at how fast the blue pokémon had moved. The little guy had been notorious for being lazy and somewhat disobedient around the lab.

"Wait a second. It didn't even listen to a thing I said yesterday, so why would it want to come with me?" May said irritably at the memory of the water type spraying her in the face with its attacks.

"You have to remember May that you are still a beginning trainer and that your pokémon might not always listen to you, but if you work hard then you can gain their respect. Mudkip can be unruly, but that's just a way for him to test you. It doesn't mean that he doesn't like you, but that you might have to be more authoritative to get him to trust your commands in battle. Every great trainer has encountered this before, including your father, but I'm sure you'll overcome it like the many others before you." The Professor advised sagely to the young trainer before retrieving the last Pokéball.

"Um, yeah." May said sheepishly, which didn't do anything to eliminate Brendan's previous uncertainties about the other brunette.

"Next, I have Torchic." Snapping his attention to the current Pokéball his father held in his hand, Brendan watched intently as the Chick Pokémon materialized from within the red and white sphere.

"Tor!" Chirped the bird happily when she saw whom she already considered her trainer. Smiling, Brendan petted the chick's soft down as she cutely cuddled with his leg. He had made his choice the moment he had first thrown that Pokéball in the midst of the poochyena.

"I'd always thought you'd have chosen Treeko or Mudkip Brendan." His father commented as he returned Treeko into its Pokéball. "However, considering what happened yesterday. I'm not surprised that you choose Torchic. You two have already proven to make a great team and I can't wait to see you compete in the Pokémon League."

If it was even possible, Brendan's smile widened further and Torchic's happy chirps increased in volume at the Professor's high praise. This was something that Brendan had only dreamed about and it seemed almost unreal for both the ten year old boy and his new pokémon partner.

"Now that you both have chosen your starter pokémon, be sure to take five Pokéballs and a Pokédex if you don't already have them." The Professor declared in a considerably better mood knowing he could go indulge in medication before the two, new trainers left on their journeys.

Taking five Pokéballs, Brendan stuck them in a side pouch in his backpack that would be easy to access whenever he happened to come across a pokémon that he wanted to catch. Slipping down to one knee afterwards, he motioned Torchic towards his backpack and the fire bird excitably took up her new, favorite perch.

"Chic." The fire type chirped animatedly from her new vantage point and flapped her yellow wings contently as she settled down on top of the bag.

"Alright, Dad I'm gonna go see Mom." Brendan said figuring he should introduce Mrs. Birch to his new teammate before he headed out into the wilderness for the next year, or so.

"That's fine, but take May with you too. I'm pretty sure your mother said she would have an early lunch ready in the kitchen before you left." Professor Birch said. "I'll meet you two there soon."

"Sure, thanks Dad." Brendan said and looked at May, who had reluctantly picked up the currently snoozing Mud Fish Pokémon. "Dad finally installed a kitchen in the lab so we don't have to go all the way back down to Littleroot to get food."

"What are we waiting for then." May said, eyes brightening at the word 'food.' Brendan rolled his eyes discreetly. No one could get her excited about pokémon battles, but mention food, or traveling, and she would be all over it. "Your mom's cooking is to die for."

Stumbling, Brendan tried to lead May through the lab to the kitchen, but failed since the other brunette had taken it upon herself to drag him through the building in her quest to find sustenance.

"Found it!" Called May delighted and finally released her 'hostage' before yelling in outrage at what she saw inside. "Hey!"

"What?" Brendan asked and was shocked into silence at what he found. Plates and platters of all sizes were stacked higher than the kitchen table in the normally immaculate space. Crumbs were littered around the room and in the middle of it was a familiar dark haired trainer and his electric rodent, which was clutching a ketchup bottle on top of kitchen table and laying on its side.

"Tor." Chirped the Chick Pokémon, who had jumped off of her perch and was sniffing at the large stacks of shiny plates that looked to be taller than even her trainer.

"Torchic, don't get too close to those." Brendan warned the small bird after overcoming the shock of seeing the huge mess. "May remind me never to offer Ash a free meal."

"Oh, who cares!" May shouted practically frothing at the mouth. "First, his Pikachu destroys my bike and now he eats all of our food!"

"May, its great to see you." Mrs. Birch said appearing from somewhere amongst the jungle of kitchen ware. "It's been a long time since I had guests that ate this much, but I saved you guys some sandwiches and Pokéchow."

"Thanks, Mom." Brendan said and May looked as if she would jump for joy when they sat on the cleaner side of the kitchen.

"So, you choose Torchic for your starter, Brendan?" Mrs. Birch asked and scooped up the cute fire type in a hug. "She's almost as adorable as my water type pokémon."

"Of course, Mom." Brendan replied knowing better than to disagree. The older woman was a Marine Pokéologist and just about loved any pokémon that could swim to the point of obsession. Thankfully, her love of aquatic life hadn't dragged her into the wild as much as his father's love of observing pokémon in their natural habitats in his lifetime. If it had, then Brendan would probably have to start carrying more first aid supplies with the amount of trouble his father got into on his own.

"Oh and May, you choose Mudkip." His mother gushed and practically crushed the unsuspecting Mud Fish Pokémon. Suddenly, Brendan was immensely glad that he hadn't chosen the water type starter. "If you ever need any advice on how to train him then just ask."

"So, you guys chose your first pokémon today?" Asked the black haired trainer as he finished the last of his food, causing the Mouse Pokémon's ears to twitch and to sit up a little straighter.

"Yep, we were supposed to yesterday, but with all the commotion, today seemed like a better option to get started on our journeys." Brendan explained since May appeared to still be feasting upon her food. May might be holding a slight grudge over Ash, but it looked like they had a lot more in common than she thought, especially their love of good food. Privately, Brendan wondered how they were going to manage their food expenses and decided that whomever took on that job deserved an award.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Ash replied sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head in embarrassment. Pikachu copied the action without even looking at the dark haired trainer, showing just how close the two were.

"Don't sweat it. No one could have predicted what was going to happen yesterday." Brendan said, waving off their apologies. "Spoink could have flown and it wouldn't have been out of place in that disaster."

"Reminds me of my first day as a pokémon trainer." Ash said and a huge grin grew on his face at the memory. "I woke up late to get my starter, Pikachu shocked me every chance he had, and a flock of spearow almost killed us."

"Really, it sounds like you two got put through the ringer." Brendan cringed at the details. Truthfully, it sounded just as bad.

"Naw, it definitely wasn't the best first start, but I wouldn't trade it for anything." Ash said and turned his fond gaze to the Mouse Pokémon. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have Pikachu and we wouldn't have had all of our adventures together."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed happily before attempting to unscrew the top of the ketchup bottle. He would have the delicious nectar of the Legendaries before they left, if he had anything to squeak about it.

"Have any of you decided on a nickname for your pokémon?" Mrs. Birch neatly interrupted when she finally released Mudkip, who looked as if he might fall over from lack of oxygen. "I know you've only had them for a short time, but I figured you might have some ideas."

"I have a few ideas." Brendan said simply when he looked at the orange bird munching on her Pokéchow by his feet. He had known Torchic for just a day, or so, but he liked to believe that he had a good understanding of her personality. He, however, wasn't going to tell his mother the specifics since he didn't feel like having his choice picked apart yet. "I'll iron them out and let you know after I've made a decision."

"Yeah, nicknames." Ash said thoughtfully. "Its probably better to do those earlier on. I just got used to calling my pokémon their species name and the nicknaming thing never happened."

"What about you, May?" Mrs. Birch asked when the young girl had finished the last of her sandwich.

"Ah, I'm sure it'll come to me." May said, avoiding the question, and placed her now cleaned plates in the sink.

"Good, and since everyone is finished eating, let's get tidied up and I'll send you three on your way." The Marine Pokéologist announced and sent a subtle glare their way when no one moved.

* * *

"Now, you three will have to register for the Hoenn League at the first Pokémon Center you can find, okay?" Professor Birch asked the three young trainers as he stood to see them off with Joshua and his wife in front of the Pokémon Laboratory.

"Oldale Town then?" Brendan asked having already planned out the route he wanted to take days earlier.

"Walking all that way makes me nervous." May complained when she thought of the day's walk to the next town and turned an accusatory look on Ash. "And my bike's destroyed. Thanks to your Pikachu mister."

"Well you could always just keep Mudkip out for company." Brendan cleanly interrupted and pointed to Torchic, who was currently settled on his backpack for a short nap, since he had an idea of where this conversation was headed.

"Oh, I know, but Mudkip still isn't listening to me and I don't know what I'll do if those poochyena come back." May said with 'concern'. "I mean there has to be a safer way to get there than on foot."

Yeah, Brendan knew exactly where this conversation was going.

"I know! Why, don't we all go together." May 'helpfully' suggested. "Brendan and I know the way, so it won't be any trouble at all Ash."

"That sounds like a spectacular idea!" Mrs. Birch said cheerfully. "Until Team Rocket is caught and the two of you get a little more experience, you both could probably learn a lot from traveling with another trainer."

"Sure, I don't mind." Ash said after a moment of deliberation and Pikachu let out a small "cha" in agreement.

Great, most of his plans were now being derailed, Brendan thought with a bit of irritation, but knew that his mother wouldn't allow for anything else and that he had no choice. "Yeah, okay Mom."

"Since your travel plans are settled now, you should all get going, or you're not going to get there before nightfall." Joshua said when he quickly checked his watch.

"Alright, we'll see ya later." May said as they all waved goodbye and started on their path into the Pokémon World.

"Remember to look out for each other." Professor Birch called out to them as they moved further away.

"We will!"

"Pika!"

* * *

A/N: So thoughts? Is this horrible and should be discontinued? I'm just not sure if I should continue with this, or not, so I'd appreciate it if I got a little feedback before I start up with chapter 2. Also I'm sorry if it got weaker towards the end since I was very tired when I finished this.


End file.
